It's an issue that disproportionately affects gay youth, and the cause has been taken up by many LGBT advocacy groups.

The bill had widespread support, and was signed by Republican Gov. Chris Christie last week in an unusual show of Republican support for LGBT concerns. Only a handful of conservatives opposed the measure.

Previous laws had been proven to be inadequate in dealing with bullying. The new regulations require stronger anti-bullying curricula, and creates a system to monitor and report incidents.

As the regulations take effect in New Jersey, other states are eager to duplicate the new laws. Assemblymember Tom Ammiano has been working on a California version that is basically a copy of New Jersey's law. In collaboration with Equality California, Ammiano expects to introduce that bill within the next few weeks.